


Normalcy (And How to Be Happy Without it)

by The_Pen_Dragon



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Established Relationship, Goro cannot cook, Light Angst, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23505352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Pen_Dragon/pseuds/The_Pen_Dragon
Summary: "Honey!" Akira called from the doorway, "I'm..? It smells weird in here.""Go back away," Goro groaned, slumping his head against the table, "I'm a complete failure…"Morgana sighed, approaching Akira at the door, "I suggested he try cooking. I seriously didn't think it would be THAT hard."...Aka Goro, slowly learning how to be a person
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 14
Kudos: 241





	Normalcy (And How to Be Happy Without it)

It was a dreary day in February, grey and dull and utterly depressing. Goro was draped over the couch in his and Akira's shared apartment, groaning as he watched raindrops spatter the window panes. He was hanging upside down off it, his legs splayed against the cushions and his hair in a feathered halo around his head on the wooden floor.

"It's terribly gloomy," he sighed heavily.

Morgana, who was the only other person in the apartment at the moment, flicked his tail in agitation and meowed, "Nyes, Goro, as you've said five times now. Look, why don't you do something productive for once instead of just whining until Akira gets home?"

"Do something?" Goro pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, still staring up at the windows, "like what?"

Morgana gave a heavy sigh, "you're so damn needy. Don't you know how to do anything for yourself?"

"I know how to do plenty!" Goro huffed, "but there's just not much I like to do."

"Oh come on. You play board games and read books all the time. Why don't you just do that? Reading has to be better than complaining to me for the next two hours."

"I like doing those things with Akira," Goro sighed, pushing himself upright on the couch. He smoothed down his hair and looked towards Morgana, "I don't really care for board games alone, and I haven't read for leisure since I was a child. I don't even know what genres I enjoy anymore."

"Seriously?" Morgana asked, picking his head up from his cat tree, "I see you cuddled up reading with Akira so much. Don't you like the books he picks out?"

Goro shrugged, "I like being close to Akira. It doesn't matter if the book is good or not. And usually they aren't. Seriously, I blame Ann for getting him hooked on those trashy romance novels."

"Nyaaghh. More complaining," Morgana huffed, pawing at his ears, "okay, well, why don't you like, do something nice for Akira then? He gets home in a couple hours, I bet he'd like it if you like, made dinner or something."

Goro tapped his chin thoughtfully, "dinner...I could try that I suppose. Though, I don't really know if he'd enjoy it, since I don't actually know how to cook properly… but it can't be that hard, right?"

Morgana's ear flicked, his face flat, "how did you survive to age twenty?"

Goro laughed, resting a hand on his cheek, "I have no idea."

\---

When the door clicked open roughly two hours later, Goro was sitting sadly in the kitchen, his head in his hands as he stared at a bowl of clumpy burnt potatoes.

"Honey!" Akira called from the doorway, "I'm..? It smells weird in here."

"Go back away," Goro groaned, slumping his head against the table, "I'm a complete failure…"

Morgana sighed, approaching Akira at the door, "I suggested he try cooking. I seriously didn't think it would be THAT hard."

Goro groaned loudly, ruffling his hair up, "you make it look so  _ eas _ y! Akiraa, how do you make it look so easy..?"

Goro felt a hand that wasn't his own come to rest in his hair, and heard Akira breathe out a laugh, "aww honey...oh my god," he stifled a laugh, "it's alright, don't be sad just because you can't cook."

"Ugh," Goro lifted his head up, meeting his boyfriend's amused expression, "some comfort you are."

Akira chuckled and leaned down, giving Goro a gentle kiss, "Mm. You wouldn't want me to lie to you, right?"

"Insufferable," Goro mumbled.

"You know, no one can cook well to start with," Akira said, pulling Goro to his feet and wrapping him in a big hug, "and I'm sure you never had much of a chance to learn, right?"

"I can't do anything useful," Goro sighed, pressing his face into Akira's hair, "And sure, I never learned growing up...but I shouldn't be  _ this  _ bad at it!"

Akira smiled against Goro's neck and rubbed his back, "you can do plenty, but if it's bothering you so much, I could always teach you some basics."

Goro pulled back, looking at him eagerly, "really? You would? That would be wonderful!"

Akira laughed a little, pulling back and kissing Goro's nose, "I really didn't think you were that interested in cooking. But hey, I'm happy to show you what I know."

Goro's face fell for just a moment, thinking that he  _ wasn't _ really all that interested in cooking, he was just interested in not being entirely useless. But doing anything with Akira was usually nice, and it was an important life skill. 

He gave a sweet little smile and nodded, "I look forward to learning."

Akira pinched his cheek gently, "hey, we've talked about this Goro. No plastic smiles, what's on your mind?"

Goro groaned, batting his hand away, "I hate it when you do that. And it's nothing. Just hoping I don't burn down our kitchen."

Akira gave him a look that said he didn't fully believe that, but he didn't push it. "Fine. You'll tell me when you're ready. For now, how about you help me make dinner?"

Goro nodded, glad Akira was dropping it. "I was trying to make potatoes and fish, but I did so poorly with the potatoes that I didn't touch anything else."

Akira chuckled, picking up the dish of burnt food, "This looks insane. Did you even put milk in here?"

"Milk? What for?"

"...what exactly did you think you needed to make mashed potatoes?" Akira asked.

"Um, Potatoes? What sort of question is that?" Goro huffed.

"Honey, did you even peel these?"

"Are you supposed to?"

Akira snorted and set the ruined pan aside, "with that kind you are. Alright, let's make it again, together. I'll let you do everything, and I'll make some grilled fish to go with it."

"What if I destroy it again?" Goro whined.

"Then we'll eat destroyed potatoes," Akira grinned, kissing his cheek, "you'll do fine. Nothing is easy if no one's taught you how to do it."

Goro nodded, tapping his fingers against his side as he recalled his mother, sitting in the living room with her head in her hands. She would usually make things like toast or instant noodles, and on nights she felt particularly poor, she would just tell Goro to figure it out himself when he complained about being hungry. She never spent enough time in the kitchen to cook a proper meal, and he had been too little to teach himself. 

He shook his head, pulling his thoughts back to the present. It was best he not dwell on his past, not when such a lovely future was right here in front of him. So he had missed out on life skills, Akira could help him learn. Twenty wasn't too old to start getting things together.

"Alright," Akira hummed, setting a small bag of potatoes on the table, "let's start with peeling these. Do you know how to do that?"

Goro hummed in thought, "I mean...it seems fairly straightforward. I think."

Akira sighed, seeming only amused and not frustrated. He sat down, small smile on his face as he picked up a potato and a small knife, "alright, watch me okay? Face the blade away from yourself, and go from the top down, like this."

Goro sat next to him, resting his head in his palms as he watched Akira. His skilled hands made everything look easy, the quick, smooth flick of his wrist as he took the skin off so cleanly that it was as if he were merely willing the thing apart. After it was peeled, he set it on the table and pointed towards the center of the potato.

"Alright, once that's done, you'll want to cut them into smaller pieces. It'll make them boil easier. I start at the middle and dice them, but it doesn't need to be perfect."

Goro tipped his head, thinking it was hilarious that Akira would bother saying anything didn't need to be perfect. Both of them were obsessive perfectionists. Things rarely got done if they couldn't be done  _ right _ . And, as if proving Goro's inner thoughts, the former thief diced the vegetable into beautiful, even cubes. He flipped the knife over in his palm, offering the handle out to Goro.

"Want to give it a shot?"

Goro took the knife, sighing, "very well. But it is not going to be near the same level as yours."

"It's cutting potatoes. You'll do fine," Akira assured him.

The raven haired man went about preparing the fish while Goro began peeling the potatoes. He squinted at them with a heavy concentration, finding that using a knife with precision was far more difficult than swinging a sword in battle.

He wondered if his mother had ever done this, perhaps on one of her good days. He could remember her humming as she gardened on sunny spring days. Had she grown potatoes? Tomatoes? Or was it just flowers? 

Goro gasped as the knife slipped, nicking his finger and snapping his focus back to reality. 

"Oh-for fuck's sake-" he hissed under his breath, standing up quickly, holding his finger and trying to avoid bleeding on the vegetables.

Akira was at his side in a second, taking his hand and pressing a damp paper towel against his bleeding hand. "Knife slip?" He asked.

Goro let out a frustrated puff of air, "it was barely a nick. Just-let me go bandage it so I don't bleed all over the food."

"I can get you a bandage-"

"I'm perfectly capable!" Goro snapped, yanking his hand away from Akira and hurrying off to the restroom.

He kicked the door closed behind him and began angrily digging through the medicine cabinet. A shifting in the shower made him jolt, and Morgana's head popped out from behind the curtain.

"Oh come nyan, I can't even get peace in here?" He grumbled.

"Why the hell are you napping in the shower?" Goro demanded.

Morgana squinted up at him, "why do  _ you _ look like you're about to cry?"

Goro scooped the cat up and opened the door, tossing him directly into a waiting Akira's face.

Morgana yowled and Akira let out a protesting sound, but Goro just slammed the door shut again. Akira huffed from the other side, and knocked against the wood.

"Goro. You have to tell me what's bothering you! We've talked about this, it's alright to open up."

Goro grabbed the bandages out of the medicine cabinet, "...I didn't mean to snap at you," he mumbled.

"I know. We both have bad days, why don't we talk about it?"

Goro slowly cracked open the door, looking at Akira bashfully, "...it's probably quite stupid."

"I doubt it," Akira replied, "now, what's on your mind?"

Goro opened the door all the way, and Akira took the bandages from him, gently wrapping his cut finger as Goro began, "well...I think I just realized today that I don't really know how to do anything. All my skills are niche, and...illegal. I never really learned how to just… be a person. And, I don't know, it really bothered me. You can cook and garden and pick out terrible books just because you enjoy them…"

Goro sighed, looking down at the floor, "and I...I can't do those things. I grew up sure I'd die before I hit age nineteen. I never even took the time to figure out what kind of person I am."

Akira set the bandages aside and pulled Goro into a comforting hug, "you missed out on a lot, I get that frustration."

Goro wrapped his arms around Akira's middle, pressing their foreheads together, "I think it just… pushed me over the edge, not being able to do something as simple as cut a damn potato. Sometimes I feel like I'll never get the hang of normalcy."

Akira chuckled softly, "normalcy? That's what you're after? You sure?"

Goro pulled back slightly, frowning at him, "what do you mean?"

"We're both in therapy for things our therapists barely comprehend. You killed people in an incomprehensible, supernatural way. I manipulated the wills of dozens of people and shot God," he began, "I feel like the fact we can get up in the morning and play pretend at being actual human beings is already astounding."

"I suppose, but-"

"Normalcy isn't what I want, personally. I just want to be happy. And you make me happy. Gardening and cooking and bad books make me happy too," Akira kissed his nose, "besides, actually picture being normal for a second. Uncompetitive, satisfied with the government, ignorant to humanity's true nature… sounds disgustingly boring to me."

Goro smiled a bit, reaching his hands down and squeezing Akira's ass, "you're right. Normal isn't for us, I wouldn't give up your sexy rants about injustice for anything."

Akira blushed and jumped slightly, "Goro-I-I'm serious when I rant about that stuff!"

Goro kissed his cheek, "that's what's so sexy about it."

Akira snorted, "okay, okay, we're off topic. So, back to the point. Normal is stupid, let's find something that makes you happy instead."

Goro hummed in thought, tipping his head, "well, let's see...other than you, and our little competitions… I can't think of much."

"Is there anything you maybe wanted to try as a kid that you never got the chance to?"

Goro moved out of Akira's hold, tapping his chin in thought. "Maybe…"

He closed his eyes, thinking about his childhood, trying to scrape for one of his sparse good memories. He smiled suddenly, clapping his hands together and saying, "I've always wanted to know how to bake bread!"

Akira smiled in reply, "really? That's very nice, more plain than I expected honestly."

"Plain?" Goro asked, "Hm, well, maybe to someone who's always had access to baked goods. But you know, back in the institution, bread was a very rare and highly valued commodity."

Akira followed Goro as the former detective paced back to the kitchen, rambling on about his past.

"There was a lovely woman who would bring all sorts of freshly baked things for the orphans," he said, hopping up to the kitchen cabinets, "I didn't eat very often back then, but she always made sure I got something. Her bread was always the most wonderful thing, I had all but forgotten about it. If I could make something like that, I'd really enjoy it."

He opened the cabinets, confusedly looking at the bowls, "...where do we keep the flour?"

Akira set a newly opened bag on the counter next to him, "you seem really excited about this. You know, you talk about your mother so much that sometimes I forget you grew up in an institution."

"Hm hm, I don't care to dwell on it," Goro replied, digging around for a big bowl, "but I enjoyed it more than any of the homes I was placed in. And besides, it wasn't all bad." He didn't like to think about his past much, besides the guilt and anger he still had over his mother anyway. But he was working on that. As far as everything else went, it was kind of one big painful blur, but the bread memory was pretty nice.

"Okay," Goro said, setting the bowl on the counter and putting his hands on his hips, "...what else goes in bread?"

Akira snorted, "we should probably finish dinner prep first, you know. But if you want, I can finish dinner myself, and find you an easy recipe to follow."

Goro nodded, "yes, I think I'd like that. Recipes are good, I'm very good at following concise instructions."

Akira grabbed the flour and bowl and brought them over to the table for him, setting them across from the half peeled potatoes. "Yes dear, you're amazing at instructions."

"I am," Goro beamed, clasping his hands together and sitting at the table.

Akira spent a couple minutes typing on his phone, then set the screen in front of Goro, "here you go beautiful, Ann said this is a good, straightforward bread recipe."

"Ah yes, Ann would know baked goods better than anyone," Goro agreed, shifting to look at the phone.

Akira chuckled, "I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult."

\---

Akira had dinner finished in a couple hours, and Goro had his first meager attempt at bread dough baking in the oven. He was covered in flour, the white powder dusting his face, hands, and hair as he sat down to eat with Akira.

"You got a little something there," Akira snickered, pointing his chopsticks at Goro.

"Look, I know, the flour kind of got away from me… but it was rather fun," Goro replied, grabbing a paper towel and doing his best to wipe his face clean. "I have a nighttime routine anyway, I'll clean up properly then."

The two ate dinner, Goro talking away about the process of baking while Akira cut his fish in half, setting some aside for Morgana.

"-and I didn't know you got to punch things, did you know that?" Goro asked, "it tells you to punch down the dough. It was like hitting one of those big stress relief balls. Except, edible, I suppose."

Akira smiled softly, nodding along, giving an occasional sound of agreement so Goro knew he was listening. It wasn't exactly rare for Goro to go off on long tangents, and he often worried he was annoying Akira with them, but the soft, caring look on Akira's face told him he probably wasn't. 

"I haven't seen you so excited since they rebooted Featherman," Akira said fondly as he took their dishes to the sink.

"Okay, first off, it's not a reboot, it's a reincarnation, a new generation, which happens every decade or so. And second, yes, I think you might be right. I really, really liked this," Goro replied.

Akira knelt down to check the oven, "that's wonderful. Having a nice hobby to unwind with is always good."

Goro sprang up from his seat, moving over to the oven with him, "yes, I will be incredibly disappointed if I fail at this."

Akira chuckled and shook his head, "it's not failure if you enjoyed the process."

"I'm pretty sure it is, in fact, failure if it is inedible."

"It's a learning experience."

"Spoken like someone who lost our last twenty three chess matches in a row," Goro smirked.

"Hey. I'm getting better every time!" Akira replied, smacking Goro's leg lightly.

Goro giggled, knocking his leg back against Akira, "alright loser, out of the way so I can check on my bread."

Akira stood back up straight, motioning to the oven as he took a step back. Goro tugged the door open, tapping the brown tops of the two loaves in the oven.

"I think that means they're done," he said, reaching in and grabbing one pan, only to immediately let go, yelping as the metal burned his hand.

He flushed red as Akira handed him an oven mitt, clearly stifling laughter. Goro snatched the mitt out of his hand, saying nothing as he properly removed the two loaves.

Morgana padded into the kitchen, his little nose up in the air, "Mm, smells like fish and bread in here. Since when do you bake, Akira?"

"Oh, not me," Akira replied, turning to his cat friend, "Goro wanted to give it a shot."

Morgana's tail instantly dropped, "...is it...is it like when he 'gave it a shot' with dinner earlier?"

"Rude little-" Goro grumbled under his breath, but Akira talked over him.

"No, he followed a recipe and everything this time."

"Insulted in my own home," Goro sighed, cutting one loaf free of its pan.

"Honey, you didn't even  _ wash  _ the potatoes."

"Quiet! Quiet! We aren't talking about that anymore!" Goro insisted, stamping his foot.

"God, you're such a child," Morgana snorted.

"Hush cat! Do you want bread or not?" Goro huffed.

Akira sat back at the table, picking Morgana up and setting him on the smooth surface, along with the half a fish he'd saved for him. Goro brought the bread over, cutting into it. He made a delighted sound when he saw the light tan color on the inside. The exterior was a little too dark, almost burnt on the bottom, but at least it didn't look completely terrible on the inside.

Akira and Goro both tried it at the same time. It was soft, a little dry, and had just a lingering touch of that smoky, overdone toast taste. But for a first effort, he wasn't terribly disappointed in it.

He looked up at Akira hopefully, "well?"

Akira nodded, taking another bite, "it's amazing."

"Come now, it's average at best," Goro chuckled, flattered by the compliment nonetheless.

Akira shook his head, "no. You found something you enjoy, I haven't seen you so happy in months. It tastes just fine, but the fact that you made it? That makes it amazing."

Goro flushed, "you're so cheesy, I swear."

Akira blew him a kiss.

\---

After that, Goro began baking more often. He hasn't enrolled in university like Akira, and usually had a lot of free time, since his part time job was just helping Sojiro at the cafe three days a week. For once, though, he didn't feel bored and miserable waiting around the house for Akira to get home from class.

He would get up in the morning with his boyfriend, put his hair back in a ponytail(which usually led to Akira kissing the back of his neck), and actually go about his day rather contentedly. 

Baking more led to him talking to Ann and Haru more often, talking about their baking related hobbies and swapping recipes. Which eventually led to Haru insisting he have a tea party with them(he had asked if they were all seven year olds before gleefully accepting the invite). 

Akira had been right, normalcy was too lofty a goal. But as he sat up early on a Saturday morning, making cookies with his talking cat for an ex-thief tea party lunch, he thought that he really and truly wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> In these trying times, we all need a little more wholesome domestic Akeshu. I hope you all enjoyed! I might consider writing more like this sometime soon..
> 
> Follow my twitter @PentheDragon if you want updates when I post new works!


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